2014 Patriots finish 21st in Super Bowl power rankings

NFL Features

The legacies of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick continue to grow. Brady overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and a suffocating Seattle defense to deliver New England's fourth Super Bowl title.

Seattle's final drive stole much of the headlines, with a circus catch by Jermaine Kearse and a baffling play-call from the one-yard line, but the lasting memory may be a capstone performance from Brady. The Super Bowl MVP threw for 328 yards and four touchdowns, surpassing Joe Montana for the most touchdown passes in Super Bowl history.

But how does this rendition of the Patriots compare to their past Super Bowl champions? Using our NFL simulation engine, we placed the 2014 Patriots in a round-robin tournament with the 2001, 2003 and 2004 teams. Each team "played" 101 head-to-head matchups against every other squad in the tournament. Check out how they ranked by win percentage:

According to our simulation engine, the 2014 Patriots rank as the second-best champion in team history. The 2004 squad, which featured 1,600-yard rusher Corey Dillon, was the highest-scoring team in the simulation and took top honors.

Next, we used our NFL simulation engine to play a round-robin tournament in which the 2014 Patriots took the field against every Super Bowl champion in NFL history. Each team in the tournament again played 101 games against every opponent.

As in years past, Kurt Warner and the 1999 St. Louis Rams are the team to beat. The Rams dominated the competition, winning 81 percent of their games. The 2014 Patriots finished a respectable 21st, scoring slightly more points (24.7) than they surrendered (24.6). The Patriots franchise also had the distinction of the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, with the 2001 squad, Brady's second year as a pro and first as a starter, winning just 24 percent of simulations. Check the full results below:

Super Bowl XLIX doesn't have to be your last taste of football until September. Let WhatIfSports.com provide your daily fix. Create your ultimate roster using our Dream Teams feature. Then take that roster and simulate it against ANY TEAM IN NFL HISTORY using our NFL SimMatchup tool.